Ex-Spurs youngster on verge of return home with Santos

Bruno Uvini has had a unique career to say the least. The 22 year-old Brazilian defender left his homeland to explore the opportunities and riches on offer in Europe, as so many have done before.

Signed on loan by Tottenham Hotspur from Sao Paulo in 2012, Uvini was given a season to impress at White Hart Lane before completing an expected $3.7 million move.

However, it didn't work out for the young centre-back in North London and a year ago he signed a five-year deal with Napoli. The security of a long-term deal that Uvini had sought was now attained.

After a fruitless loan spell at Siena, where a single appearance failed to materialise, the youngster was released and is now on the verge of a move back to Brazil with Santos, according to hereisthecity.com.

The unique nature of this nomad is down to that fact that he has actually been capped three times by the full national team. Playing in friedlies for the Selecao means that Uvini has officially played more games for his country than his previous three clubs, an astonishing anomaly.

He is not the first fledgling to leave the nest for bigger things and hopefully he can kick-start his career at Santos should the deal go ahead, but Bruno Uvini is a reminder of the perils of not reaching the absolute pinnacle of his profession.